Equestrian Events at the 2012 London Summer Olympics - dummies Equestrian Events at the 2012 London Summer Olympics Equestrian Events at the 2012 London Summer Olympics Equestrian Events at the 2012 London Summer Olympics The Equestrian (fancy name for horses) competition at the London 2012 Summer Olympics consists of three disciplines: dressage, eventing, and jumping. Each of these discipline provides an opportunity for team and individual medals. Eventing competitions will take place July 28 through 31; dressage competitions will take place August 2 through 9; and jumping competitions will take place august 4 through 8. All events will be held at Greenwich Park. About 200 Olympians will vie for the medals, and unlike many of the other sports, men and women will compete together and against one another. Equestrian eventing during the Olympic games Although dressage is its own category of competition, it is included as part of what’s called the eventing competition and actually takes about half of the four days allotted to the competition.

During the dressage portion, the rider and horse combinations perform for a panel of judges, who award them points that are converted to penalty points and carried forward to the cross-country competition. The cross-country competition is a long course containing up to 45 jumps. Penalty points are awarded for time penalties and jumping errors. These points are added to the dressage penalty points to yield a total score for each horse and rider combination. The last portion of the eventing competition is jumping. In the United Kingdom, the Brits refer to this portion of the competition as showjumping. Two jumping tests make up this portion of the eventing competition. The first test determines the team place medals. Penalty points are awarded for errors in jumping and time violations, which are added to the competitors’ previous totals. Although the teams might include as many as five rider and horse combinations, only the best three cumulative scores count toward the team’s score. The best 25 rider and horse combinations go through to the second jumping test to determine individual medal winners. If there are multiple rider/horse combinations tied for 25th place, they all go through to the second jumping test and compete for individual medals.

Individual medals are awarded based on the cumulative scores of the dressage, cross-country, and both jumping competitions. Dressage equestrian events at the Summer Olympics Dressage events, much as the name implies, are all about how the horse and rider look and move together. They perform a dressage test before a panel of seven judges. This test involves a series of various movements. The judges award scores for the overall routines as well as for individual movements. The team event consists of three horse and rider combinations, including the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special rounds. The individual event uses the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special as qualifiers for a freestyle competition (Grand Prix Freestyle). Grand Prix is a fancy name for the first phase of the competition. The Grand Prix Special is the second phase of the competition. The best seven teams and the best 11 individual athletes, who are not qualified as team members, after the Grand Prix go on to the Grand Prix Special. If there are multiple rider/horse combinations tied for 11th place or multiple teams tied for 7th place, they all go through to the next phase of the competition. Team medals are awarded based on the combined scores during the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special.

The best 18 rider and horse combinations, based solely on performance during the Grand Prix Special, go on to the freestyle competition. Performance in the freestyle event determines individual medals. Equestrian jumping competition during the Summer Olympics The most exciting of the equestrian events, the jumping competition is all about timing and speed as the athletes take their horses (sometimes referred to as mounts in competition) through an obstacle course containing everything from fake stone walls to water obstacles, to jumps with multiple rails. Any jump that isn’t cleared correctly and completely is awarded a penalty. The fastest rider and horse with the fewest penalties receives the highest score. The jumping competition includes five rounds. The first round is strictly an individual competition, an attempt to reduce the number of competitors. The best 60 rider/horse combinations go on to the second round. The second round is actually the first team competition, but also serves as another individual competition qualifying round. This time, the scores from both rounds are combined, and the best 45 individuals go on to compete. Based only on scores from this round, the best eight teams also go on to round three. The third round determines the team medals. Scores from both team rounds are combined.

The third round also serves to narrow the field of individual competitors down to the best 35, based on the combined scores. Only three riders from each country can progress as individual competitors. In the fourth round, individual scores are not cumulative. Based on scores in this round only, the top 20 competitors go on to the final round. The fifth round scores are combines with the fourth round scores to determine the individual medal winners. If athletes are tied for medals after the final round, they participate in a jump-off to break the tie. 2012 London Olympics -- Germany wins gold medals in individual, team equestrian events comment LONDON -- The queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips added to the family silver on Tuesday, helping team Britain to a second-place finish behind Germany in Olympic equestrian eventing. Putting shine on the moment: Her mother, Princess Anne, presented the medal. It was a very royal family affair Tuesday at Greenwich Park, London's oldest royal park and the home of equestrian events for the 2012 Olympics.

Princes William and Harry and William's wife Kate were in the stands to cheer on their cousin as she competed in the final show jumping portion of the three-stage eventing competition, coming out for a second day in a row to support "Team GB." Phillips said the experience was "amazing" and "unreal" -- if not a bit disappointing given that Britain went into the final hoping to win. But Phillips and teammate Nicola Wilson both knocked down fences, and the penalties added onto others accumulated by the team over the dressage and cross-country segments, dashing Britain's hopes for gold. "We wanted gold but we made mistakes," Phillips said. Then holding her new piece of silver, she said: "When we got this around our necks, it was all worth it." Michael Jung on Sam led the German team to its second consecutive Olympic gold -- and then picked up the individual gold to boot with a combined score of 40.6 after incurring no penalties beyond his initial dressage score. He is now current Olympic, world and European eventing champion. And if that weren't enough, Tuesday was his 30th birthday. "It was amazing, awesome," he said.

Asked if he could have imagined his double-gold win, Jung said he only dreamed of riding in the Olympics. "It was not my dream to win two golds," he said. Germany went into the event atop the standings and maintained the lead throughout, ending with a final score of 133.7. Britain's final score was 138.2, while New Zealand had 144.4 for the bronze. The United States was seventh with 208.6. In the individual competition, Sara Algotsson Ostholt of Sweden riding Wega won the silver with 43.3 after knocking down the final fence of the competition. Sandra Auffarth of Germany riding Opgun Luovo won the bronze with 44.8. After racing through the treacherous cross-country course without any penalties the day before, Phillips' horse, High Kingdom, knocked down a rail on the second jump Tuesday, incurring four penalty points. He completed the rest of the course cleanly, albeit a bit over the 83-second limit. The crowd gasped when the rail came down but applauded wildly as she finished. "It was my fault," Phillips said.

"After that he jumped fantastically." Phillips, a former world and European eventing champion who is 14th in line to the throne, said she had put High Kingdom in a tough takeoff spot as she approached the jump, leaving him little room to maneuver. "I'm just disappointed for the team," she said. Despite the penalties, Phillips qualified for the individual jumping final and produced a clean, quick round that earned her an eighth place individual finish for her Olympic equestrian debut. She pumped her fist in the air in celebration afterward. Britain's William Fox-Pitt on Lionhart said the presence of royals in the stands didn't affect Phillips or the rest of the team. "Each of us is in our own bubble out there," he said. "Her family is here to support her and our families are here to support us." As they did on Monday, William, Kate and Harry watched the competition from the VIP section of the equestrian arena, joined by Camilla, Prince Charles' wife, and Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, the daughters of Prince Andrew. Princess Anne was there as well -- and then came down to the arena to hand out the medals.

It might have been a poignant moment for her given that she competed in Olympic eventing in 1976, but her horse fell during cross-country. Several of the British and New Zealand team members curtsied when Anne approached to drape the medal around their necks; the men shook hands or bowed slightly. Phillips got a kiss on each cheek from her mother. Horse and rider then took a thunderous victory lap around the arena. They weren't the only ones celebrating: Phillips' husband, England rugby star Mike Tindall was live tweeting the results: "Woooooooooooooooooooooo," he tweeted after it became clear Britain had won the silver. Britain won eventing silver in the 2004 Athens games and bronze in 2008. Germany won gold in the 2008 Olympics and was in first place in Athens but dropped from medal contention after a technicality. The last time Britain won Olympic gold in eventing was in 1972, when Phillips' father, Capt. Mark Phillips, now the U.S. eventing coach, was on the team. He also won silver in Seoul 16 years later.

Phillips said she appreciated the effort her relatively inexperienced bay gelding gave her, given he lost two shoes during the arduous cross-country portion of the event on Monday. The 31-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II scored a penalty-free ride Monday, negotiating High Kingdom over 28 obstacles and a slippery course that claimed a dozen fallen riders. Her score helped bring Britain into second place in the team standings behind Germany heading into the final portion of the event. Some of the first horses out on the show jumping course looked tired, with several pulling down multiple fences and incurring time penalties beyond the 83 seconds allowed. But Fox-Pitt -- the first British rider out -- had a clean round, drawing raucous, foot-stomping cheers from the flag-waving hometown crowd. The show jumping portion of eventing is designed to test the horse's agility and ability to recover from the difficult run the day before. The lowest three scores for each team counted for the team total. The lowest 25 scores went to the individual jumping competition.

The team members for gold-winning Germany were: Jung, Auffarth, Ingrid Klimke on Butts Abraxxas, Dirk Schrade on King Artus and Peter Thomsen on Barny. British team members included: Phillips, Wilson riding Opposition Buzz, Fox-Pitt on Lionheart, Mary King on Imperial Cavalier and Kristina Cook on Miner's Frolic. New Zealand's bronze-winning team included: Jonelle Richards on Flintstar, Caroline Powell on Lenamore, Jonathan Paget on Clifton Promise, Andrew Nicholson on Nereo and Mark Todd on Campino. Todd's previous medal haul in individual eventing includes back-to-back golds in 1984 and 1988 plus bronze in 2000. Asked if he'll be back for Rio in 2016, Todd said: "I'm not going to say yes and I'm not going to say no." Equestrian Eventing: The Olympics’ Most Dangerous Sport? | TIME.com Equestrian Eventing: The Olympics’ Most Dangerous Sport?

The slightest miscalculation in the cross country can cost medals, as well as possibly lives Send to Kindle Markus Schreiber / AP Karen O'Conner of the United States competes with her horse, Mr Medicott, in the equestrian eventing dressage competition during the equestrian eventing dressage competition at Greenwich Park at the 2012 Summer Olympics, on July 28, 2012, in London. Follow @TIME On the eve of the London Olympics’ equestrian contests, the wooden squirrels of Greenwich Park are standing at the ready. They’re perched around 4-foot chestnut logs — one of 39 obstacles that horses competing in eventing must negotiate, along with ersatz picnic baskets, figurines of the Wind in the Willow’s Ratty and Mole, and a giant polystyrene planet with rings made of steel. Competitors will finish the park’s 3.5-mile course by leaping through a giant horseshoe. Welcome to eventing — the equine equivalent of the triathlon — which combines the disciplines of dressage, show jumping and cross country. It is also a sport enjoyed frequently by the wealthy and sometimes even by royalty.

But for all its trappings of refinement, eventing is perhaps the most dangerous sport in the Summer Olympics—to both horse and rider. The slightest miscalculation in the cross country can cost them a medal, and possibly their lives. The sport has claimed a spot in Olympic competition since 1912, yet its risks have been a point of ongoing controversy. Unusually deadly periods of rider deaths worldwide, including 12 in a year-and-a-half between 2007 and 2008, caused even those at the heart of the sport to voice ambivalence about its hazards. In 2008, the president of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, warned that equestrian sports might not make it into the London 2012 Games. The International Olympic Committee “has very reasonable and legitimate concerns about eventing safety,” she told Britain’s Horse and Hound magazine.

“Walking away and saying ‘Thank God nobody died,’ isn’t good enough.” (MORE: Q&A: Olympic Equestrian Mary King ) In response to the fatalities — and the negative publicity they attracted — eventing’s governing bodies have focused on reducing the sport’s risk for riders: the FEI now collects data on falls and rider injuries, and encourages rider responsibility and protective equipment like inflatable vests. British Eventing (BE), which oversees the sport in the U.K., has pioneered research into frangible pins, which are designed to prevent ‘rotational’ falls — where a horse somersaults over a jump and crashes onto its back — which permanently disable riders 25% of the time. Since 2006, BE has required the use of frangible pins — which are designed to collapse (and thereby lessen the severity of the horse’s fall) if too much of a horse’s weight rests on it — on all fences that can accommodate them. (Some jumps, including many solid obstacles favored by eventing traditionalists, cannot be made frangible.) Today, the FEI emphasizes that over the past eight years, while more than 3.3 million cross-country fences have been jumped at international level, only seven riders have died.

Yet though national and international eventing bodies have turned their attention to human safety, animal welfare advocates say the sport has not done enough for other athletes involved: the horses. “The cross country course design has become too challenging,” says Dene Stanstall, the horse consultant for U.K. non-profit Animal Aid. “They risk breaking the horses’ necks or backs.” Critics acknowledge that measures taken to prevent rider injuries — such as reducing the chances of a rotational fall — may benefit their mounts by proxy. But given that 283 horses tumbled at FEI competitions just last year, and at least twelve event horses have died falling on jumps since the start of 2009 in the U.K. and U.S. alone, Stanstall says a more direct focus on horse safety is needed. “There is a moral question here. Is it sport to put horses lives in danger?” Despite the danger to the animals, statistics are hard to come by: neither the FEI nor British Eventing currently maintains a comprehensive database of eventing horse injuries and deaths, though the FEI says it is in the process of developing one.

Part of the difficulty, explains Carolyn Simm, training and safety coordinator at BE, is that some riders might be reluctant to report injuries for fear of damaging a horse’s “commercial value.” If a horse’s injury worsens, preventing it from returning to competition, its owners can decide to have it put down after the event and not tell anybody. “The client can do whatever they want, because it’s their property,” explains Ellen Singer, a veterinarian at the University of Liverpool’s Equine Hospital. “In most legal systems animals are considered property, not like you or me.” (MORE: 50 Olympic Athletes to Watch ) Still, in the small world of eventing, horse fatalities are no secret. Several riders competing at the 2012 Olympics have had horses die during competition. In 2008, British eventer Zara Phillips lost 10-year-old mare Tsunami II after it somersaulted over a hedge and broke its neck. Later that year, Olympic horse Call Again Cavalier was euthanized after breaking his leg while being ridden by Phillips’ Great Britain team mate Mary King. In 2009, U.S.

eventer Phillip Dutton lost his 9-year-old gelding Bailey Wick in a rotational fall — Dutton was thrown clear while the horse landed on its neck. Among those horses that have died in recent years is 11-year-old Porloe Alvin, who, at the 2010 Burnham Market horse trials, flipped over a jump and reportedly broke his back. At the Badminton trials in England in 2010, 11-year-old mare Desert Island twisted and broke her leg on the corner of a fence; afterwards she was put down. In June of this year, 15-year-old gelding Sugoi, a 2008 Olympic competitor, broke his neck on a fall at Tattersalls International Horse Trials near Dublin. Horses that survive with injuries often suffer the same fate. “If you have a horse which can no longer do the job for which you bought it, and you can’t afford to keep it, you can either have it put down, or you can sell it,” says BE’s Simm, who points out that disabled horses who are sold could possibly end up in the hands of a neglectful owner.

“Are you actually doing the right thing by your horse, by patching him up?” The death of a horse is always taken in eventing circles as a tragedy, perhaps most of all by riders themselves, who spend hours each day with their athletic partners. Yet despite the risks, eventers are willing to put themselves and their horse in danger, competition after competition. Some in the eventing community say it’s a form of denial that keeps the sport going. “You never expect it to happen to you,” says Denny Emerson, two-time president of the U.S. Eventing Association and former member of the U.S. World Championship eventing team. “If you did, you wouldn’t do it.” (PHOTOS: Scenes from the 1948 London Olympics ) Riders and owners reject any suggestion that they don’t care about their horses and say that eventing horses lead very privileged lives. “People in third-world countries should be as lucky as to be an upper-level event horse,” says Emerson. Most in the eventing community also believe that horses are willing participants. “I really do think that the horses choose to do this,” says David O’Connor, the president of the U.S.

Eventing Association and individual gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “They might not have chosen to start doing it, but they really can choose not to do it at any time.” As the Olympics begin, however, critics maintain that the sport’s governing body and participants are still far from making it sufficiently safe for horses and riders alike. While frangible pin technology to reduce rotational falls has been available since 2001, the FEI still does not mandate its use in competition. And there are other safety features, such as “deformable” foam logs (which cushion horses that slam into them), that exist but are rarely used. At the Olympic site in Greenwich, only three of the some 40 fences on the cross-country course will be fitted with frangible pins. “The Olympic competition is run under FEI rules so there is no requirement to use frangible/deformable technology,” wrote course builder Jonathan Clissold in an email. “It is the course designer’s choice.” Animal advocates say this is unacceptable. “Horses are being put into dangerous situations,” says Animal Aid’s Stanstall, who rejects the idea that horses choose eventing and its risks. “They are programmed to do this.

From a very early age, they’re taken from their mothers and are trained to do the three disciplines. They are almost given no opportunity to do anything else.” Choice or no, Olympic cross country course designer Sue Benson says that an extremely challenging course at the Games is not in the interest of the sport. “I never wanted any seriously unpleasant pictures to be beamed across the world.” For now, Greenwich Park is serene: all equine competitors are safe in their luxury stabling, equipped with misting fans and 70,000 carrots. Even if there are dangers ahead, they’re probably not aware of them. And some in the eventing community, including those at the forefront of efforts to reduce risk in the sport, think it’s better that way. “Certainly horses don’t have that ability to see into the future or predict it like we do,” says O’Connor. “I’m very aware of the risk. I’m sure the horses don’t think that way — they enjoy the moment of the game.” BBC Sport - London 2012 Olympics: Schedule and tickets guide London 2012 Olympics: Schedule and tickets guide By Ollie Williams Can Chris Hoy win another clutch of medals at London 2012?

Four weeks after the full day-by-day schedule for the London Olympic Games in 2012 was revealed, tickets go on sale from 15 March. Deciding what to watch - either from the sofa at home, or by purchasing tickets - will not be easy. There is a wealth of sport on offer, split into more than 640 sessions from 25 July to 12 August. Remember that the schedule may change between now and the Games, and there is no guarantee that big names will participate in any given session - most have yet to even qualify for the Olympics, although they will expect to line up at the start in 2012. WEDNESDAY, 25 JULY 2012 Sports: Football The Games begin before the beginning. Two days ahead of the opening ceremony, the Olympic football competition begins early (as it has done at every Olympics since Sydney 2000).

We know the first action of the Games will be a women's football group game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with other fixtures at Coventry's Ricoh Arena and Glasgow's Hampden Park, but do not yet know which teams will be involved (or what form any British football teams taking part in the Games will take). THURSDAY, 26 JULY 2012 Sports: Football The football competition continues with the first set of men's group games in Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester (Old Trafford), Coventry and Cardiff, one of which is earmarked to feature the British men's team. FRIDAY, 27 JULY 2012 Sports: Archery This is the day the Games officially begin - but you won't get to see any sport.

Beijing 2008's opening ceremony was a spectacular affair HIGHLIGHTS - The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1930 BST inside the Olympic Stadium - But be careful with your punctuation if you hope to buy tickets: prices range from £20.12 to £2,012 OFF THE BEATEN PATH - The Olympic flame will wend its way through London in the lead-up to the ceremony, so you can line the route for free if you want to take part in proceedings - Archery is the only sport taking place, but these are preliminary rounds which take place behind closed doors at Lord's Cricket Ground SATURDAY, 28 JULY 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling (road), Equestrian (eventing), Fencing, Football, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting Almost 20 sports leap to life on the first full day of action at the Games.

HIGHLIGHTS - Mark Cavendish could win Britain's first gold medal in the men's cycling road race (tickets £20-£60 though you can turn up at most parts of the route for free) - But the first gold of the Games is expected to come on the shooting range at the Royal Artillery Barracks (£40) - The first swimming medals will be won that evening, while rowing heats begin at Eton Dorney, including the men's eights SPORT EDITORS' BLOG BBC Sport's head of major events OFF THE BEATEN PATH - A mid-range £35 ticket gets you a reasonable seat for three hours of table tennis singles at the ExCel, one of the Games' busiest venues but one many may overlook for day one - In the same place, for the same price, the first judo sessions may see Ashley McKenzie fight for Britain and will definitely involve medals being won SUNDAY, 29 JULY 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Cycling (road), Diving, Equestrian (eventing), Fencing, Football, Gym

nastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting Will Rebecca Adlington be lining up a gold medal in the pool as Wembley hosts its first 2012 Olympic football match?

Rebecca Adlington (left) should be a contender in 2012 HIGHLIGHTS - It's the final of the women's 400m freestyle at the Aquatics Centre, one of two events Rebecca Adlington won for Britain at Beijing 2008 (tickets £50-£450) - Nicole Cooke won Britain's first gold medal in Beijing, and will want to defend her title in the women's cycling road race - The new Wembley Stadium makes its Olympic debut, hosting two men's football group games (£20-£60) OFF THE BEATEN PATH - This is a good chance to see artistic gymnastics, a sport in which British medal hopes are high, on a budget.

Tickets for each of today's three qualification sessions start at £20 (up to £150) - The women's team archery at Lord's is an outside bet for a British medal, in what promises to be a magnificent setting (£30-£95) - Lee Valley's whitewater course welcomes the Olympic canoe slalom competition, with the men's canoe and kayak single heats (£20-£60) MONDAY, 30 JULY 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Diving, Equestrian (eventing), Fencing, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting WEDNESDAY, 1 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Cycling (road), Diving, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey

, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting Can rower Greg Searle win Olympic gold for Britain after 10 years in retirement?

HIGHLIGHTS - Searle won rowing gold at Barcelona 1992. Now, after 10 years away from the sport, he is back as part of the British men's eight, who should be in contention for a medal at Eton Dorney (£30-£150) - Cycling's time trials take place and can be seen for free at Hampton Court Palace - It's the final day of the Olympic football group stages, and a last chance to pick up the best tickets for £40 in Glasgow, Newcastle, Coventry, Cardiff and Manchester OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Never before has the men's artistic gymnastics individual all-around final meant much to Britain. Now there is a British contender in the shape of Daniel Keatings - who won a world silver medal in 2009 before injury struck last year.

He should be back at his best for 2012 (tickets £50-£450) - Badminton reaches the last 16 so it may be a good time to head to Wembley Arena, where the field has been whittled down to the best in the world, for £30-£95 - The morning session at the Aquatics Centre doesn't offer any finals, but for £20 upwards you ought to see Michael Phelps in the heats for the men's 200m individual medley, as well as potential appearances from top British duo Fran Halsall and Jo Jackson THURSDAY, 2 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Cycling (track), Equestrian (dressage), Fencing, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo Attention switches to the Olympic velodrome.

Olympic stars reveal London 2012 dream tickets HIGHLIGHTS - This is the first day of the Olympic track cycling, a discipline dominated by the British at Beijing 2008. Today sees the men's and women's team sprint competitions: Sir Chris Hoy led GB's men to victory in Beijing, while this marks the debut of the newly introduced women's event. Tickets £50-£325 - Things are hotting up at Wimbledon, too, where we reach a day packed with tennis quarter-finals and semi-finals, within a month of the traditional Wimbledon competition drawing to a close. Eight hours of action on Centre Court costs £35 to £115, or take a chance with a ground pass for £20 - David Florence and Richard Hounslow are world bronze medallists in the men's slalom canoe double, and they could add an Olympic medal on the last day of events at Lee Valley (£35-£150).

Florence will already have had a chance in the single event - in which he won silver in Beijing - on 31 July OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Shooting's double trap final (£30) and the women's judo 78kg finals (£45-£125) are other options to consider if you want the sessions you attend to include hopes of British medals - Rowing's men's lightweight fours should offer some of the toughest racing at Eton Dorney, with four or five crews (including Britain's current world champions) likely to be in the running for the gold medal (£30-£150) - The table tennis men's singles event finishes at the ExCel.

British interest is unlikely in a sport dominated by Chinese stars, but the action will be fast-paced and entertaining (£45-£125, or £20-£85 for the morning's semi-finals) FRIDAY, 3 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling (track), Diving, Equestrian (dressage), Fencing, Football, Gymnastics (trampoline), Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting The Olympic Stadium's track and field events begin on what could be a blockbuster day for Britain's big names.

SPORT EDITORS' BLOG SATURDAY, 4 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling (track), Diving, Equestrian (jumping), Fencing, Football, Gymnastics (trampoline), Handball, Hockey, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting The biggest weekend of the Games begins, and Britain's Jessica Ennis could win women's heptathlon gold. DON'T FORGET HEATS Remember there are heats and semi-finals, so you can see Usain Bolt run for £20. Look beyond the last two nights (the relays) as well - Jessica Ennis, for example. She competes on two different days, in four sessions, at the beginning of the track and field events.

We would encourage people to have a more broad approach than simply the one, two, three top events Paul Williamson SUNDAY, 5 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling (track), Diving, Equestrian (jumping), Fencing, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Shooting, Synchro Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling (Greco-Roman) The men's 100m final concludes a frantic weekend - can Usain Bolt dominate as he did in Beijing? HIGHLIGHTS - Long considered the blue riband event of the Olympic Games, the men's 100m final delivered in Beijing with Bolt's stunning victory. Can he, and the event, reproduce the magic on the London track? GB's Christine Ohuruogu will also hope to defend her women's 400m Olympic title. To be in the arena you will have to pay from £50 up to £725, and you can expect this session to be many-times oversubscribed.

Getting tickets to see the final will be almost as tough as winning it if your budget is limited - Meanwhile, the women's marathon takes place on London's streets. Britain's hopes in the event are likely to include Paula Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi - and you can see them for free over much of the course, though some areas will be ticketed from £20 to £50 - At Wimbledon, the Olympic tennis tournament concludes with a men's singles final which home supporters will hope stars Britain's Andy Murray (£65-£225) - Ben Ainslie already has three sailing Olympic titles to his name, having won the Laser class in Sydney, then the Finn in Athens and Beijing. He is back in the Finn for London 2012 and today sees the Finn medal race off the coast of Weymouth (£55) - Louis Smith won Britain's first individual gymnastics medal in 80 years when he won bronze on the pommel horse in Beijing. In 2012 he may face competition from his own team-mate Daniel Keatings in the same event, inside the O2 Arena (£50-£450) WHY BUY A MARATHON TICKET?

Marathon tickets apply to the last few hundred metres in the Mall. The course is a loop, so you see the athletes several times over. The arrangement is similar to the London Marathon, where stands accommodate paying customers near the finish line. We also have to control the number of people in the area. There are only a few thousand tickets and we think there will be real demand Paul Williamson TUESDAY, 7 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling (track), Diving, Equestrian (dressage), Football, Gymnastics (artistic), Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Synchro Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling (Greco-Roman) Hyde Park hosts the men's triathlon as the Olympic track cycling concludes. Alistair Brownlee is a contender to win triathlon gold in Hyde Park HIGHLIGHTS - What price Alistair Brownlee for a home gold medal in the men's Hyde Park triathlon?

Brownlee won the world title in 2009 and won two world-class races in 2010 despite injury. Elements of the course are free to view, other areas will cost from £20 to £60 - Later that day, events in the velodrome round off with the men's keirin - won by Sir Chris Hoy in Beijing, though he may not compete in the event here - and the women's omnium and sprint races.

GB's Victoria Pendleton is the defending champion in the latter (£50-£325) - Finals at the Olympic Stadium include the men's 1500m, high jump and discus, and the women's 100m hurdles (£50-£450) - The men's football semi-finals take place at Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford (£30-£125) OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Britain's synchronised swimmers have come a long way since Beijing, and the top pair - Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison - are expected to reach the duet final at the Aquatics Centre (£30-£175) - Buying a ticket for the women's artistic gymnastics floor final at the North Greenwich Arena may give you a chance to see Beth Tweddle in Olympic action for the very last time. It's also the final artistic gymnastics event of the Games (£50-£450) - The table tennis team finals see several matches being played to determine which nations takes the gold.

You should, theoretically, see more action than if you buy a singles final ticket at the same price (£45-£125) WEDNESDAY, 8 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling (BMX), Diving, Equestrian (jumping), Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling (freestyle) How will Beijing champion Dr Brabants operate on the 2012 sprint canoe course? HIGHLIGHTS - Tim Brabants stormed to victory in the men's kayak single 1000m race at Beijing 2008.

Having taken two years away from the sport to work as a doctor he returned in 2010 and this could be his big day at Eton Dorney, which turns into the home of sprint canoeing after the rowing finishes (£35-£95) - Track and field medals on offer at the Olympic Stadium include the men's 110m hurdles and the women's 200m, 400m hurdles and long jump (£50-£450) - Among other gold medals awarded today are the men's sailing 49er class, the equestrian individual jumping, and the women's beach volleyball (though the latter may be a bit steep for some pockets, with the cheapest tickets at £95) OFF THE BEATEN PATH - This is a slightly quieter day but there remain plenty of attractive events on offer. Now may be the time to sample the Olympic BMX circuit, where GB's Shanaze Reade is expected to fight for gold, in the preliminary seeding runs (£20-£95) - The women's hockey event reaches the semi-final stage inside the Olympic Park. Each semi-final costs between £30 and £95 to attend.

Go to one of the play-offs for seventh-10th place earlier and you'll pay less - Women's boxing, making its Olympic debut, reaches the semi-final stage. The best bet for British interest is Savannah Marshall in the middleweight category (£30-£110) - Born in Ukraine but now wrestling for Britain, Yana Stadnik may be involved in the women's freestyle 48kg category at the ExCel (£20-£95) THURSDAY, 9 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling (BMX), Diving, Equestrian (dressage), Football, Sailing, Swimming, Synchro Swimming, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling (freestyle) Phillips Idowu has a chance at triple jump gold. Phillips Idowu is a triple jump gold medal hope for GB HIGHLIGHTS - Idowu could do no better than silver in Beijing, but subsequently won world and European titles.

The triple jump takes place alongside the men's 200m (another chance for Usain Bolt) and 800m finals, and women's javelin final, inside the Olympic Stadium (£50-£450) - The women's football final takes place at Wembley Stadium (£30-£125), with the bronze-medal play-off in Coventry (£30-£60) - Men's boxing reaches a packed day of semi-finals at the ExCel. British names who may still be in the hunt at this stage include lightweight Tom Stalker and light-welterweight Bradley Saunders - there should be an Irish presence in the semi-finals, too.

You get plenty of top-class boxing for your money in either of the two sessions (both £30-£150) - Keri-Anne Payne should prove a strong contender for Britain in the women's marathon swim, involving laps of Hyde Park's Serpentine (£20-£60) OFF THE BEATEN PATH - As GB's top female sprint canoeist, Rachel Cawthorn has the chance of a medal in the 500m kayak single event at Eton Dorney (£35-£95) - Dressage may be a complex sport for newcomers to grasp, but the equestrian event is given an entertaining injection of music in the Grand Prix Freestyle individual finals in Greenwich Park, where Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer will hope to challenge for gold (£65-£275) - Britain's rhythmic gymnasts have been fighting to improve ahead of 2012.

They may not be medal prospects but you should catch them in action in today's qualification session at Wembley Arena (£20-£95) FRIDAY, 10 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling (BMX), Diving, Football, Gymnastics (rhythmic), Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Swimming, Synchro Swimming, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling (freestyle) A big day for British prodigies? Shanaze Reade, right, crashed out of the 2008 BMX final HIGHLIGHTS - Shanaze Reade was one of Britain's brightest medal hopes in Beijing, but she fell from her BMX bike to the track and missed out in 2008. She says she has since grown up and is back to fight for gold in 2012.

This ought to be a sparkling session with the men's and women's finals both on the same card, from a comparatively low £20 up to £125 - Lutalo Muhammad will fight for GB in the 80kg category at the Games after being selected ahead of world number one, Aaron Cook. The action is over in a day, but you must choose from three sessions. The first two start at £20 but the final session, involving the medals, costs from £30 to £95 - Relay finals begin at the Olympic Stadium, featuring the women's 4x100m and the men's 4x400m contests. Prices consequently take a hike, with tickets costing from £50 up to £725 - The women's gold-medal hockey match takes place inside the Olympic Park.

On current form, the British team have a fair chance of making it that far (£45-£150) OFF THE BEATEN PATH - In Hyde Park, it's the turn of the men to dive into the Serpentine for the 10km open-water marathon swim (£20-£60) - Cardiff plays host to the men's football bronze-medal match. Useful if you're not keen on travelling to London but want to see a big game (£30-£75) - If you want to see Tom Daley in action, there may be less competition for tickets to today's 10m platform diving preliminaries, held a day before the final.

If Daley reaches the Games, he must go through the preliminaries to reach the final (£30-£175) SATURDAY, 11 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling (mountain bike), Diving, Football, Gymnastics (rhythmic), Handball, Hockey, Modern Pentathlon, Sailing, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Wrestling (freestyle) Men's football and hockey gold medals are decided - and will Tom Daley dive for gold? HIGHLIGHTS SUNDAY, 12 AUGUST 2012 Sports: (Events with medals to be won shown in bold) Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Cycling (mountain bike), Gymnastics (rhythmic), Handball, Modern Pentathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling (freestyle) Boxing and modern pentathlon conclude the Olympic Games, ahead of the closing ceremony.

HIGHLIGHTS - Modern pentathlon's mixture of five sports - fencing, swimming, show jumping, running and shooting in that order - may seem anachronistic to some, but today's women's event is one in which Britain are historically very successful. Moreover, one £75 ticket gets you into the Olympic Park for the first two events, then into Greenwich Park for the remaining three, over a span of 10 hours. This may also become the last gold medal won at the 2012 Olympic Games - The remaining five boxing medals are decided today at the ExCel (£95-£395) - London 2012's final athletics event is the men's marathon, which will be free to view for most of the route, although some areas will cost between £20 and £50 - London will hand over to Rio for the 2016 Olympics with the spectacle of the closing ceremony inside the Olympic Stadium. With that, the Games conclude WATER POLO: IN DEMAND? Water polo is in a small arena and it's the national sport for a lot of European countries, so we're expecting high demand Paul Williamson London Olympic venues Sports - Athletics, opening and closing ceremonies.

VeloPark Sports - Cycling Track, Cycling BMX London Olympic Venues Earls Court is in West London Sport: Volleyball About Earls Court - From exhibitions and conferences to live music, Earls Court holds hundreds of events each year attended by visitors from around the world. ExCeL London - is situated near London City Airport in east London's Royal Victoria Dock. Sport: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Boccia, Paralympic Table Tennis, Paralympic Judo, Paralympic Powerlifting, Volleyball (Sitting), Wheelchair Fencing Greenwich Park on the south bank of the River Thames in south east London. Sport: Equestrian events - Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, Paralympic Equestrian, Modern Pentathlon About Greenwich Park - Includes the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum, which, together with Greenwich Park, are part of a World Heritage Site. It is London's oldest Royal Park, dating back to 1433. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1997. Within the park is The Royal Observatory and the home of Greenwich Mean Time at Longitude 0°.

Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, the political centre of the UK. Sport: Beach Volleyball About Horse Guards Parade - Dates from 1745 and takes its name from the soldiers who have provided protection for the monarch since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The parade ground lies at the heart of London's ceremonial life, and hosts the Trooping of the Colour event that takes place on the Queen's official birthday each year. Hyde Park in London's West End Sport: Triathlon, 10k Open Water Swim About Hyde Park - The largest of London's Royal Parks, Hyde Park has been open to the public since 1637. The park is home to a number of grassroots sports clubs, including the Serpentine Swimming Club, whose members swim in the Serpentine Lake whatever the weather - even on Christmas Day.

Lord’s Cricket Ground Millennium Dome: The O2 in Greenwich - on the point of the Greenwich peninsula Arena 1- Sport: Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball Arena 2 Sport: Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics Regents Park Sport: Road cycling About Regents Park - One of London's famous Royal Parks, the Regent's Park has been open to the public since 1845. As well as being home to London Zoo and the Open Air Theatre, the park is a much-loved sports venue for thousands of Londoners. The Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common in south east London Sport: Shooting, Paralympic Shooting, Paralympic Archery About the Royal Artillery Barracks - The London port of Woolwich has a long military history and the construction of the current Royal Artillery Barracks buildings began in 1776. Wembley Stadium in north west London, around six miles from the city centre. Sport: Football About Wembley - The new stadium's arch soars over 130m into the sky, more than four times the height of the towers of the old Wembley Stadium.

Wimbledon in south west London Sport: Tennis About Wimbledon - Home of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the setting for the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament since 1877. It is the only remaining major grass-court Tennis venue in the world. Out of London Olympic Games venues The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre in Hertfordshire Sport: Canoe Slalom Location - 30km north of the Olympic Park, on the edge of the 1,000-acre River Lee Country Park which is part of the 26-mile long, 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park in Hertfordshire. Eton Dorney near Windsor Sport: Rowing, Paralympic Rowing, Canoe Sprint About Eton Dorney - The venue is a 2,200m, eight lane rowing course with a separate return lane constructed to international standards. It is set in a 400-acre park with a nature conservation area. Hadleigh Farmis to the east of London, in Essex. Sport: Mountain Bike Hampden Park in Glasgow is Scotland's national stadium. Sport: Football The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is Wales' national stadium.

Sport: Football Old Trafford in Manchester is home to Manchester United Football Club. Sport: Football St James’ Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north east of England Sport: Football Villa Park in the West Midlands Sport: Football Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in Dorset on England's south coast. Sport: Sailing, Paralympic Sailing

Question: Where did the equestrian events take place during the 2012 London Olympics?
Answer: GREENWICH PARK